...Kaelaah watches, his face inscrutable, as Tera leaves... and then Salomae after her... fire rises inside him as he stares at Lonjiku...
...NO!!! You don't know this man... you know nothing beyond what happened here...
...he cools - and turns back to Shalelu, "I'm not sure what just happened... Things have been... different... for us since the day of the festival". Kaelaah almost blushes before offering a hand of friendship, "Ummmm, I'm Kaelaah - servant of Sarenrae... I don't think we've met... Not properly at least".
Kaede was expecting physical action from Lonjiku, not directed at him. So, Tera's outburst catches her completely off-guard, as her attention was on the old man and Tera's tirade leaves her speechless for the duration of it. Tera and Salomae's exit shook her out of shock though.
After a couple moments to process what the hell just happened, Kaede's eyes widen and she looks at Lonjiku. "You took that on purpose. You could have dodged that, but you didn't, because you feel it proves whatever point you think you're making...." After a brief pause, she adds accusingly, "You were waiting for me to react physically, weren't you?"
Tera is sitting at the corner of the Rusty Dragon, clutching the hand she used to punch Lonjiku. She looks up with a start at your question, but she scoots over and nods to the patch of dirt next to her, inviting you to have a seat.
"Part frustration, part righteous anger, and eight parts being stupid," she says with a chuckle. "I bet Faustwick is going to pop a vessel when he hears about it."
She chuckles again, but something is bothering her, and it's more related to Faustwick than it is to what she did.
Tera stands up and looks at Sheriff Hemlock.
"Sheriff, I punched him. There's not going to be any doubt of that. Everyone in there saw it," she says as she continues to try rubbing the ache from her hand. "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to do this with no fuss."
She pulls the pouch of spell components from her belt and holds it out for the guards to take. Once that's done, she holds out her hands, her wrists close together, for the manacles she's sure are coming.
[spoiler=Inside the Rusty Dragon]"Tera is... I don't think anyway... she's not like that... there must have been some reason why she would strike that man... Oh, I suppose it'll get worked out somehow... hopefully".
Kaelaah ponders for a moment, "Shalelu... The priests from the cathedral, they're worried... what with the goblin attack and some other unpleasantness that we discovered, your early return from ranging has them concerned... they asked us - myself, my brothers and my sisters - to come and talk to you", a bemused smile curls in Kaelaah's lips, "...but I guess events have slightly run away from us... it's just me and..."
Kaelaah looks over his shoulder to see who else remains in the tavern...
"'For once?!?'"Kaede all but cries out in disbelief."Do you even know what you're talking about? Holy Rose, if you made any more sense, I'd swear we had stopped a scheme of yours..." Then Kaede stops talking cold...
Goblins led by a human....Lonjiku pulled out of the Swallowtail festival, claiming sudden illness, though he's more then fine now.... He has a serious, sudden grudge against us for stopping the goblins... He knows something about the goblin raid...
As the color slowly fades from Kaede's cheeks, she turns to Amieko. "What demand is he making of you?" she asks, with a hestiant and fearful tone, realizing she may be in the room with the man that tried to wrack the city.
Kaelaah looks over his shoulder to see that Roakkad is the only one still with him. It seems not to matter much though because Kaede has taken over shouting at the elderly Tien man and the argument is squelching any other meaningful conversations in the common room.
Ameiko seems taken aback when Kaede begins questioning her about the argument. "What difference does it make what..." she responds before shaking her head, sighing, and continuing, "He's moving back to Magnimar where it's safer and wants me to come with him."
"That's right," Lonjiku snaps, "its not safe living here anymore with all the trouble that church and you lot bring us! Not that its any of your business."
Before Kaede can continue her argument, the door swings open and Tera and Salomae walk in with Sheriff Hemlock and six armed watchmen. "Hey what's all this yelling?" the sheriff demands.
"Well," Lonjiku replies, "this one wasn't content with her friend assaulting me, so she's committed herself to harassing me!"
Turning his gaze to Ameiko, the sheriff says, "This one's already confessed to assault. Has anyone else hit anyone or broken any other laws?" She quietly shakes her head no and then Sheriff Hemlock adds, "You five, back to the cathedral, now. Stay there until someone comes and tells you its alright to leave. Mister Kaijitsu, I'll need you to come down to the barracks at your convenience to fill out a report." He waits for Tera's friends to head back to the church then says, "Sorry for the disturbance folks; back to your drinks," and leads Tera back to the barracks.
Roakkad had sat quietly, chewing on some pecan nuts he had found in his pocket. He had never had them before coming to Sandpoint but had developed a fondness for the taste and now had a habit of carrying them around. Even Tsharat could be coaxed into eating them from time to time.
When the yelling match started, he knew better than to get between an angry female and her prey. Tsharat had taught him this much. He simply sat quietly, chewing on his pecans, watching the action unfold.
As the sherrif enters, he hops to his feet, bowing his head quickly at the gruff instructions before grasping Kaelaah on the shoulder. "Come, let us not make more trouble where none is needed."
Kaelaah nods at Roakkad...
...let that be the end of our troubles for today...
Whilst he follows his friends from the room, he looks back at Lomjiku Kaijitsu... his eyes narrow as he wonders exactly who this man is...
Tera just nods her understanding of Sheriff Hemlock's words and follows him, and his orders.
When Sal squeezes her shoulder, Tera gives the Erastialian a weak smile.
"Just pray they don't ship me back to Magnimar then," she says, failing to hide her own anxiety over what is to become of her.
He's running... that or another raid is coming. Kaede realizes, and opens her mouth to try to tell the sheriff, only to stop from speaking. "You won't believe me now anyway... " she mutters, annoyed that this old man had so throughly destroyed a large portion of the good will they had built up in only 5 minutes... With a look of defeat , Kaede trudges back to the cathedral, knowing that more chastising is waiting for them there.
The sheriff and his men follow the marked out into the square and watch them turn north towards the Cathedral. Then they march Tera west past the Turandarok Academy before heading north to the barracks.
After they've all cleared the square, Shalelu quietly slips out of the inn and makes her way towards the Cathedral at an intentionally leisurely pace.
"This should serve as a reminder to always keep Tera on good terms." Roakkad smiles half-heartedly, trying to lighten the mood, as they trudge back home.
Lost in thought, Kaelaah walks with Salomae and Roakkad...
...that punch, irrespective of how strong it may have been, will echo around the cathedral for days to come...
Kaede sighs as they get back to the cathedral. "I really messed everything up by trying to help Amieko... Didn't I?"
"Indeed." Roakkad agrees with Sal. "Women warriors are a rare but powerful breed--mother jaguars defending their pack. Surely the villagers will praise the gods to have sent them such a brave and fearsome ally."
Things are quiet when the marked, or most of them, arrive back at the Cathedral. The carriage that Zache and Father Zantus had set out in is back, so both of them are, most likely, inside somewhere. Despite the briefness of their trip to the Rusty Dragon it is already somewhat late and some of the initiates and priests have already turned in. Those who are up are going about their business very casually and it seems that word must not have reached anyone yet about what has just transpired between Tera and one of the city's founders...
Tera sighs and lays down on the bedroll.
"Well, no sense in worrying about what tomorrow will bring," she says before trying to go to sleep.
Sal gets surprisingly little reaction from her friends but heads off to find the High Priest none the less.
After she knocks, it only takes a moment for the door to open. It is not, however, Father Zantus who answers but Zache. He smiles at the sight of his friends, though its clear from his face that he's noticed that Tera is absent. Before he can speak the Father calls out, "Please, do come in, all of you. What brings you all, together, to my chamber at night?
Kaede looks at the others and sighs before beginning. "Father, I may have messed things up significantly for the cathedral. " After a pause, she continues. "When we reached the Rusty Dragon, we came across Amieko and her father arguing, with Amieko rebuffing his demands for her to fall in step and follow his orders. Being unwilling to allow a friend and artist get bullied, I stepped in..... That was a mistake, as Lonjiku turned his anger at first me, then the cathedral in a tirade that I can only call delusional, eventually calling everything we had done since and including the raid as an insult to Sandpoint and it's people."
She sighs again, hesitant to continue. "At this point, Tera, infuriated by his statements, clocked him. I think he wanted that to happen, but he'll deny that so it's a moot point. In any case, He made it a point to send someone to get the sheriff, so that Tera could be arrested. Sheriff Hemlock also demanded we return here. "
"A fearsome warrior, Tera." Roakkad agrees. "She brings honor to her family name. Still, we thought it best to return here peacefully. I hope we have not brought disgrace to the Cathedral." Roakkad envisions the possibility of being assigned double chores, sighing heavily.
”What happened… should, of course, not have happened. But Father, I worry for Sister Tera… it doesn’t seem like her to lash out in such a way… something is gravely troubling her surely… maybe it is better for her that she is returned to us and we, the marked, make reparations to the Kajitsu man than it is for her to languish beneath the Sheriff’s jurisdiction…”, already having said more than he wanted to and worried that he has overstepped the mark, Kaelaah’s voice trails off…
"NO! Kaede all but shouts at Kaelaah's suggestion at placating Lonjiku. "After all the delusional lies that he was spouting, you want to back off and let him claim he's right? Considering the massive ego that he was wielding, who knows what steps he'd try to take then. I won't apologize to him... besides...."
At this point, Kaede stops for a moment and takes a breath, "Okay, this is just speculation on my part, but I think he knows something about the goblin raid, or worse. Think about it. He skipped the Festival with a 'sudden illness', which didn't seem to be affecting him at all now, and even during the festival the rumors were that he was faking it. His vehemence was toward all of us instantly, when it should have been only toward me, and the raid was a primary arguing point for him. He's planning are running from town because of the raid, even trying to force Amieko, who everyone knows can't stand him, to go with him. We also know that a human is involved with the goblins. While there's little solid there, it's enough to make me a little suspicious."
Father Zantus goes wide-eyed and slack-jawed as the tale of Tera's assault of the Kaijitsu patriarch unfolds. At Kaede's accusations his face drains of all color. "We are in plenty of trouble as it is without leveling such accusations against one of the most highly respected men in Sandpoint," he warns, "Let's try to put this fire out before you go lighting any more. Besides, Lonjiku skips the festival every year; he has a well known dislike of crowds. All of the officials knew he was lying when he sent word of his illness but that doesn't point to any wrongdoing. And he isn't the only one thinking about leaving town after that raid..."
The high priest looks troubled as he contemplates the situation for a moment. "I don't know what Lord Kaijitsu has against any of you, or against the Cathedral, but let us hope you have earned enough good will from the people after today's celebration,' he says uncertainly, "he is a very influential man and could make things very difficult for us. If he did bait Tera then we'll have to be especially careful not to be lured into any further missteps..."
"I honestly don't know," Father Zantus answers, "We'd have to ask Brother Faustwick... he'd know... I do know, though, that in many places the penalty for a commoner striking a noble is more severe than for someone striking an equal..."
Still in his favourite yellow shirt and blue vest, but without the eye-watering assortment of scarves and jangling belts that usually accompanies him like a hurricane, Zache paces the room like a caged cougar, his face creased with confusion and worry. "So while I'm out blessing a caravan, Tera decides to rearrange the face of one of the town's most powerful people," he mutters. "Why hasn't anyone spoken to Brother Faustwick yet? We have to get this worked out quickly!"
"There was a reason why I didn't voice my suspicions, Father: that and I knew I wouldn't be listened to. I bring it up now because I trust those here. And honestly, he wasn't trying to bait Tera, he was trying to bait me. She just took the bait meant for me. "
"And Zache, we haven't talked to Brother Faustwick because we thought we should talk with Father Zantus first. We just got back here."
"I honestly don't know," Father Zantus answers, "We'd have to ask Brother Faustwick... he'd know... I do know, though, that in many places the penalty for a commoner striking a noble is more severe than for someone striking an equal..."
"We are the marked!" Roakkad cannot help but balk at the notion that because this Lonjiku is somehow "better" than them Tera should be punished. "We came to the aid of the village during the goblin attack! We killed a boar to feed the people of this village. Tera did those things. Is she not at least equal to this Lonjiku? Is she not above him?"
"Legally speaking, no," the High Priest answers sadly, "but hopefully your actions have earned enough favor with the people and with the sheriff to buy her some leniency."
Rubbing his chin anxiously he adds, "can one of you please go and fetch Brother Faustwick? He needs to be informed, and I could use his counsel..."
"Yes, right away." Roakkad bows his head briefly then hurries out into the halls in search of the Abadarian priest.
Roakkad quickly arrives at Brother Faustwick's suite. A moment after he knocks loudly on the door the priest opens it dressed in his pajamas and a dressing gown. "May I help you, Brother Roakkad?"
Kaede nods in agreement to Sal's comments. "There's some part of this puzzle that we don't have, and I may have just thrown pieces from a whole different puzzle into the mix."c She starts to get a very frustrated look on her face. "There's an answer for something here, but I have no idea what now. Maybe hunting Shalelu is the answer to that."
Kaelaah holds his tongue against Kaede’s protestations; it is true that the Kajitsu man was not of pleasant character and also that he had little cause to make the declarations that he had… but the inflammatory words of the Kajitsu patriarch were not enough to justify Sister Tera’s actions… nowhere near enough.
"Greetings, Brother," Roakkad says to Brother Faustwick, slightly out of breath. "Father Zantus has requested your presence. For an...hmmm, urgent matter."
Brother Faustwick furrows his brow at Roakkad's vagueness, but does not press the matter. "Very well," he answers flatly, cinching his dressing robe and stepping into the hallway. He strides alongside the young Shoanti back to Father Zantus' chamber. When they enter he does not wait for Roakkad to announce him but states, "you sent for me High Priest?"
His face remains stoic while he looks over each of the marked but when the Desnan declares, "Tera has been arrested for assaulting Lonjiku Kaijitsu," he breaks into an uncharacteristic frown.
"Tell me exactly what happened," he says to the marked.
If anyone can outmaneuver Lonjiku with the laws, it's Brother Faustwick.
Kaede nods, before starting. "When we entered the Rusty Dragon, Amieko and Lonjiku were arguing in Minkaian..." And Kaede will tell him what happened as exactly as she can, including translating all the Minkaian into Taldan. She also does her best to try to keep as much bias out of the description. "After the sheriff ordered us back to the cathedral, we came to find Father Zantus first thing and that brings us to now," she finishes her retelling with.
If they feel my comments were unwarranted, so be it. I'll still stand by them.
Roakkad fiddles with a scroll case restlessly, wishing his magic were potent enough to create an easy fix to a seemingly impossible situation.
For now, the best answer seems to lie not in the realm of magic, but in the laws of men.